Vikings victory: Lakewood wins state title

It was a day they'll remember forever in the Lakewood volleyball program.

The Lakewood girls were not to be denied.

The Vikings swept North Branch 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 to take the school's first Class B state championship at Kellogg Arena on Saturday.

Lakewood won the title with a 52-4 record while North Branch falls to 68-8-1.

“It feels so amazing,” said Lakewood senior outside hitter Emily Kutch. “We worked so hard for this. Everybody has been saying this team this year would be the one to win it all, and we did.”It was a big moment for Kellie Rowland, in her 15th season as Lakewood coach with a 787-115 record.

“We were pretty nervous coming in today,” Rowland said. “North Branch looked pretty fantastic Thursday night (in the state semifinals). Having that one day of practice helped tremendously and they did everything we thought they would do. My girls adapted and did what they needed to do.”

Olivia Davis fired a kill for Lakewood for a 20-19 kill in the first game and Sunshine Young served the Vikings to a 23-19 lead. North Branch hit the ball out of bounds for Lakewood's 25th point.

“That first game was key,” Kutch said. “Once we won that, we knew it would carry into the second game. Everyone had energy, everyone played as a team. The team chemistry was there. It was really good.”

“We were up 19-17 and I felt that if we could have gotten that first game, who knows what would have happened,” said North Branch coach James Fish “We just couldn't do it. Some time you have to give the other team their due. They're just a good team.”

Brooke Wieland served two straight aces for an 8-2 Viking lead in the second game. Lakewood was able to stay on a roll and led 16-10 on Beth Tingley's ace and 18-11 on Kutch's kill. Kutch also delivered kills for her team's last two points.

North Branch hung tough in the third game but couldn't control Lakewood at the end. Rowland remembers what her thoughts were at this very moment.

" 'Don't give now, this game is such an intense game and it's not over until it's over,' ” Rowland recalled thinking. “I didn't want to go to a fourth game. The heart can only take so much. I'm not very young. They just executed and did what they needed to do to beat them.”

Consecutive kills by Davis gave her team a 19-16 lead. She was able to serve her team to a 23-17 advantage. A tip from Wieland gave Lakewood its 24th point. A hitting error by North Branch gave the Vikings the game, match and state title.

“We have more size and more power,” Rowland said. “I think that was the killer. Kutch and Davis were putting the ball away pretty easily over there.

“We have the size, we have the speed and we have the quickness. Brooke Wieland, our setter really stepped up with the ball. We felt it in warm-ups.”

Kutch wound up with 18 kills and seven digs while Davis collected 14 kills, four aces and two digs while Wieland was credited with 31 assists and 11 digs, Tingley with three assists and 11 digs, Charlie Smith with four kills and four assists and Jordan Kietzman with five digs.

“It's so great to finally have a dream like this come true,” Davis said. “We all went in and did our best, did our jobs and it worked.”

North Branch was led by Jamie Barrows with 20 assists and Rachel Fish with 13 digs. But the Broncos weren't able to stop Lakewood's bid to be state champs.

“We all worked together, all came in and did our jobs,” Davis said. “Everything came together. We've been working for it all year. We had to keep our heads on straight, keep focused, keep the dream in mind, keep going and get it.”